Glenn Greenwald on the NSA’s Secret Defeat of Encryption

Posted on Sep 6, 2013

Democracy Now!

Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald took to “Democracy Now!” on Friday to comment on revelations that the NSA spends $250 million a year to crack online encryption used to protect emails as well as banking and medical records.

“Encryption is really the system that lets the Internet function as an important commercial instrument all around the world,” Greenwald said. “It’s what lets you enter your credit card number, check your banking records, buy and sell things online, get your medical tests online, engage in private communications. It’s what protects the sanctity of the Internet.

“The entire system is now being compromised by the NSA and their British counterpart, the GCHQ,” Greenwald said. “Systematic efforts to ensure that there is no form of human commerce, human electronic communication, that is ever invulnerable to their prying eyes.”